Publishing Model

Acta Obstétrica e Ginecológica Portuguesa (AOGP) is an editorially independent publication, property of the Federation of Portuguese Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FSPOG). The ideas expressed in the journal are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FSPOG. AOGP follows the rules for editorial independence produced by the World Association of Medical Editors, the code of good editorial practice produced by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the recommendations of EQUATOR network.

The journal publishes original, peer reviewed, scientific papers in all areas related to Obstetrics and Gynecology. The main aim of the journal is the promotion and dissemination of scientific research in these areas. 

It is a bilingual journal, accepting articles written either in English or in Portuguese, but in all cases needing the inclusion of a Title and an Abstract in English and in Portuguese.

AOGP is published every three months in digital format (http://www.fspog.com/pt/acta-obstetrica-e-ginecologica-portuguesa/ ) and 2000 copies were send by e-mail.

Sources of revenue

AOGP accepts revenue from a range of sources to ensure wide access while maintaining quality and full editorial independence. The sources of income include subscriptions from institutions and individuals, classified advertising for courses and scientific events, display advertising for pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products, and sponsorship. 

Acceptance rate and handling times

AOGP publishes about 70% of received articles. In 2019, the median time to make a first decision was 56 days.

Open access

All articles published in AOGP are open access, being available for consultation in http://www.fspog.com/pt/acta-obstetrica-e-ginecologica-portuguesa/ 

Previous publication or duplicate publication 

Manuscripts should be submitted exclusively to AOGP and may not be under simultaneous consideration for publication in other journals. Manuscripts that have been previously rejected by other journals will be considered for publication, and authors are free to submit those that have been rejected by this journal elsewhere.

Data presented in the manuscript must not have been previously published, in whole or in part, in another journal. This does not include publications in the form of abstract in proceedings of scientific meetings.

Editorial process

All original articles published in AOGP are submitted to internal and external peer review.

Editorials, opinion articles and letters to the editor are not subjected to peer review.

The review process 

Every paper is screened to confirm that it is in accordance to the submission rules. If it complies with the rules it is assigned to an assistant editor. If it fails to comply with the rules, it is returned to the corresponding author for correction. 

The assistant editor evaluates the article and, if the editor feels that the paper merits further evaluation, he sends the article to external peer reviewers. If the article does not attain enough quality, it can be immediately rejected. 

Reviewers are invited to declare conflicts of interest and refuse to review.

After been invited and accepting the review, the external reviewers evaluate the article, make comments and suggest a decision. After the reviews are completed, the assistant editor re-evaluates the article and review comments, and makes a decision that is sent to the editor in chief. The editor in chief makes a final decision and communicates it to the authors (most often according to the decision of the assistant editor).

The authors, after receiving the decision, if they wish, may reformulate the article and send it again. Minor or major review decision is no guarantee of acceptance.

When an article is accepted the editor in chief notifies the corresponding author.

Authorship and contributorship

AOGP follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) regarding authorship and contributorship. The individual contribution of each author to the article must be included (https://casrai.org/credit/  e https://www.pubin.pt/apoio/credit-taxonomia-para-contribuicao-de-autores/?seq_no=2).

Keeping track of your submission 

You can track the status of the article on the submission platform (Editorial Manager ®). Here you can find submitted articles distributed by "New submissions", "Revisions" and "Completed".

When you receive the decision letter, you can access the external reviewers' comments.

After acceptance 

After the manuscript is accepted the correspondence is made to the corresponding author's e-mail, as indicated on the submission platform.

The article is sent to the production team to prepare your proof.  

Once prepared for publication, the proofs will be sent to the corresponding author who should review them (within 2 working days).

Appeal process

Peer review is based on evidence and opinion. Sometimes the rejection decision may not be accepted by the authors. If you consider that your article has been rejected wrongly, because we misunderstood its scientific content, you can submit an appeal letter to editorial board (mail); this letter should be very detailed. After evaluation of the letter, the editorial board may consider reviewing the article again (it is not a guarantee of acceptance); the article will be peer reviewed.

Discussion after publication and corrections

AOGP enables and encourages post-publication discussion, through the publication of letters to the editor and their responses.

If you find any error or inaccuracy in an article already published, you can send a letter to the Editorial Board (mail). If the editorial board considers necessary, a correction to the article will be published and, as a last resort, the article may even be withdrawn.